Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a gracious and dignified ceremony, 24 leading women from varied fields were conferred the coveted Ahilya Award For Women of Substance in Indore, instituted by Free Press in association with Omaxe and DCBM on Saturday.
The award recognises women of the city who have carved out a niche for themselves in various fields to become the epitome of success.
Kailash Vijayvargiya, national general secretary of BJP, graced the event as chief guest and Manjushree Bhandari, Chancellor of Sri Aurobindo University, was the special guest. Other dignitaries included Sonal Sisodia, principal DCBM, and Manoj Choudhary. The event was co-sponsored by the Bank of India, and 92.7 Big FM was Radio Partner for the event.
“One has to work hard to become successful, but it is more difficult if one has to overcome societal challenges. Indore is one of the best cities and has carved its name on the global map, but some recent incidents have become a reason for concern. I congratulate Free Press for instituting this award for women who are working for humanity in different ways. India is a country where age-old traditions of the family are still followed. Everyone has a duty beyond the office. Just as a woman is expected to be a good wife, daughter, and mother, similarly, a man has to be a good husband, son and father. A person becomes successful only when the family comes forward to help them. A successful person contributes to society without forgetting their own family.”
- Kailash Vijayvargiya, national general secretary, BJP
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Awardeespeak
“Free Press is felicitating women from various fields, which I believe is a great way to encourage women, and I feel privileged to be a recipient of this award. I believe that women in every field should be respected, and working women should prioritize their health over everything.”
- Dr Manisha Lokwani, Radiologist
“Bold, gorgeous, diligent, spectacular, and confident are words that define women. Sometimes, life throws many challenges, but one has to be determined enough to cope with what is served. Women have to be proficient and more importantly confident when it comes to their work. My advice to every woman would be to work hard and be diligent and confident. A woman should know her true self so that she understands what she can achieve.”
- Manjushree Bhandari, Chancellor, Sri Aurobindo University
“Awards act as a motivation for any person who is working hard. This award will motivate women to come out from their cocoon and work for themselves and the society as well.”
- Aruna Kushmakar, Sanskrit Scholar
“It’s an honour to be awarded and it is great that the Free Press family has considered women from every genre. Sports is now gaining popularity and women have started excelling in the field as well. It is a myth that women can’t play sports. In my opinion, women are now coming out as great sportspersons and getting recognised by the world.”
- Rinku Acharya, Table Tennis player
“Women have to be excellent, and most importantly confident when it comes to their work. I have witnessed situations where people are reluctant in allowing women to work late. However, I made sure that no matter what obstacles I had to overcome, I was not going to give up. My advice to every woman would be to work hard, be diligent and confident.”
- Seema Taj, Director of Sales, Hotel Sheraton
“Being a woman is all about following our desires. I do not believe that we need to be biased towards any gender. I have learnt that everything is possible with family support. My husband has been my prime support and I aspire to teach my sons the same.”
- Pooja Sharma Rinwa, CA and Entrepreneur
“It always feels good when someone recognises your talent. Nowadays people have started turning towards western music, however, people should know that classical music serves as the base for every other music in the world.”
- Rasika Gawade, Musician
“It is an honour to be awarded this prestigious title. It will serve as a motivation for women to come out of their zones and become something that they aspire to be. For a woman, it is sometimes difficult to maintain the work-life balance, but if they are determined then they can achieve every single thing.”
- Dr Sandhya Chokse, LNCT (ED)
“I come from a very small middle-class family and have overcome many barriers to stand as an advocate in front of all. My commitment towards my career has always been strong enough to overcome every difficulty in life. A woman should know her true self so that she understands what she can achieve.”
- Anamika Singh, Advocate
“Bold, gorgeous, diligent, spectacular, and confident are the words that define a woman. I know that sometimes life throws a lot of challenges, but one has to be determined enough to cope with what is served. Receiving the award along with all these extraordinary women motivates me to work even harder and contribute to society with what I have got.”
- Supriya Madan, Events Manager
“A woman is a figure of mother, daughter, wife, and Goddess. Being felicitated with the Ahilya Award is not only a matter of pride for me but it also inspires every woman. From what I have noticed, if one is determined to achieve something, no power in the universe can stop them from achieving it. Hence setting a goal added with loads of determination is the only success mantra I prescribe.”
- Dr Deepika Verma, Doctor
“Reason for anyone’s success is their family’s support along with one’s dedication. It is always important for someone to love what they do. Being a working woman is not only difficult but we have to live up to society’s expectations. However, the changing norms have been supporting women, which is a great deal.”
- Sandhya Sharma, Real Estate Entrepreneur
“Being a Rangoli artist, my request to all women is to never underestimate your talent. One should go ahead with whichever talent they have, just like me. Even if it is mehendi, sewing, cooking, gardening or anything, one must never consider it as mediocre work.”
- Shikha Sharma, Rangoli Artist
“Yoga is one of the best exercises for relaxation and is a respectable profession for a woman. I believe that rather than focusing on a particular goal, they must follow and believe in the process. Working towards one’s betterment would lead them to become a driving force for a better society.”
- Nisha Joshi, Yoga Specialist
“I am really happy and thankful to Free Press for considering me for this prestigious award. Nowadays the times have changed and people have started accepting women working in various fields. I can proudly say that women are homemakers and nobody knows better financial management than them, hence, they are excelling everywhere.”
- Tina Saraswat, CA
“A woman has the innate quality of serving everyone. She is a motherly figure who can cater to the needs of her family as well as society. Hence, if given a chance, she can be the best in every field. All that a woman wants is support, after which she is capable of getting anything done. ”
- Sheetal Todiwala, Social Worker
“Extremely happy to receive an honour from the esteemed dignitaries on a platform that is helping motivate women. With my experience as an industrialist, I could say that a woman does not want to compete with men in society, rather they want to create their position in society.”
- Shrestha Goyal, Industrialist
“Awards act as a motivation for any person who has been working hard. This award will motivate women to come out from their cocoons and work for themselves and their society as well. I thank Free Press for this award. ”
- Lily Dawar, Social Worker
“Women have to be proficient, excellent, and most importantly confident when it comes to their work. Society is often conservative and people frown upon women working odd hours. So, women have to work extra hard to prove themselves. My advice to women is to never let go of their dreams and work with dedication towards their goals, and then they would surely achieve them.
- Pritesh Sisodiya, Real Estate
“I am extremely happy to receive this award. It will keep me motivated to work harder and do more for society. I feel there is never a competition between a man and a woman, rather a woman wants to make her mark in society.”
- Priyanka Soni, Bank of India
“For a working woman, it is difficult to live up to society’s expectations. However, the world is changing and societal norms are also changing. Women are now in a better space than they were earlier, and this trend of emancipation will continue.
- Mayuri Kocheta, Bank of India
